Tuesday, April 30, 2013

here's the deal, love clem snide, love covers... so it would make natural sense that this would light up life. It is ok... I miss the fuller sounding clem snide - end of love still one of my favs! This is nice, but simple and at times empty in spirit. Check it out yourselves at BC...

record their debut album with Sam Kassirer (Josh Ritter, Langhorne Slim), the three voices behind Fort Frances found themselves on-stage at festivals around the country, on-screen at Tosh.0 and on the road for tens of thousands of miles.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Finland isn’t the first place you’d associate with cutting-edge independent music, but whilst Sigur Ros and Bjork fly the flag for Iceland and First Aid Kit, The Hives and Shout Out Louds represent Sweden, there’s an underground movement in the most easternly Scandanavian country, based around the Soliti label, that’s slowly but surely making waves and bringing Finnish independent music to the attention of those searching for something a little different.

“Past Perfect” is an enchanting album with hints of eighties electronica & elements of early New Order, all packaged around half-spoken half-sung male vocals with occassional female backing. Whilst “Bathe In Glory” is the most accessible track, there’s also a darker more menacing edge on tracks like “Darkling I Listen” and “Widow’s Song” that gives the album a variety of moods and effect.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

I am currently on a national tour playing bass in the David Bazan band. Other musical adventures centered in Seattle, Washington include and have included Aqueduct, Say Hi, The Banyans, City Light, Thieves of Kailua, Josh Ottum, Rosie Thomas, With Friends Like These, Airport Cathedral and Dear Darling. I love music and I love my friends. I am interested in becoming a better friend to everyone that i know and meet. I am happy eating mexican food everyday and laughing as much as possible. I want to spend the rest of my life learning new things and documenting as many of my experiences as I can in any way that I should. tumblr

I'm at twenty already... Either I am getting older real fast or I lost my marbles years ago. Here is the 20th instalment of my indie covers posts; I probably have another 20 or so before I start lacking covers from some of our most endearing indie artists.

"Back in January of this year, I received a message from a friend of Jason's, Tara Samaha. Like so many of us were, she was concerned. She was concerned for his safety, mental and physical health after receiving an alarming email. She felt he needed a map to help him through these troubled times and then asked that I make him one. I did. Sadly we were never able to land a concrete address for Jason, where we knew he would get the map. I know that he had lost things important to him over the past few years, for various reasons, so I wanted to be sure this got into his hands, and no one else. That said -- sadly -- the map was never delivered to him" graveface

Sunday, April 14, 2013

Well, times change, thus so must I... This is my first submission and a dandy!

Sally describes the band as Sally is a songwriter. A terribly hurt, terribly hopeful, terribly romantic young woman who chronicles her (mis)adventures in love through catchy sad and happy songs. She is also a compulsive doodler, is often nauseous, and loves cats. She wants you to experience her life through her songs.

We Are In a Car is indie pop at its' best; compelling delivery, shinny guitar rhythms, lovely at time and grungy at others. Overall a nice little EP that will have you hitting repeat on a couple of the tracks. Go pick it up for free at BC...

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

National Public Radio (NPR): Terry O’Hara has a voice that has some of the faltering facets of Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne, while at times channeling the intimacy of the late Mark Linkous (Sparklehorse)...Alone is Yes floats through ten lovely folk songs that sound like they were recorded in a spaceship.

The Globe: The album has a soothing, spacey sound, similar to a sedated Radiohead. Constant echoes and disjointed melodies laden with loaded pauses lull the listener into a calm, yet melancholy, stupor.

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Uncle T is a special person who usually introduces people to good music during their childhood. This record is for him and for all the good uncles that keep educating nephews to music listening. I hope to be an Uncle T too one day...

When it comes to family, many of us keep things close to our chests. But rather than keeping his kin hidden in a old dusty photo album, Songs For Walter’s Laurie Hulme is more likely to be found making a song about them. In particular his late grandfather Walter. One listen to the Songs For Walter EP and what you’ll hear is a stunning memoir of one extraordinary fellow and his strangely wonderful world...

But make no mistake; this is not simply a nostalgia trip. Equally inspired by Lou Reed and John Cale’s “Songs For Drella” the two releases of the EP is a personal musical anecdote exuding the kind of rawness to only come from a self-produced release. “I really love lo-fi stuff, there’s something so much more honest about it,” explains Laurie. “What you lose in quality you gain in character.”

And that’s what really sets Songs For Walter apart. This EP has bags of character. Each song stands up on its own but together creates a legacy reflecting a Bill Callahan/Smog-like balance of sincerity and absurdity, The Spinto Band in reflective mode, or perhaps new kid on the blogs, fellow one-man bedroom outfit Youth Lagoon.

Quote :

“Songs that you feel have always been with you and remind you of all your favourite memories…life changing” – Jacob Graham ‘The Drums’

Saturday, April 6, 2013

You can spend all the time and money in the world trying to craft the perfect pop-music scenario, but sometimes the stars have to align all by themselves. Even though early on the members of The Postal Service jokingly referred to Such Great Heights as “the hit” on their debut album, Give Up, there’s no way anyone could have predicted the eventual impact made by a mail-order album designed in a pair of West Coast bedrooms.

It’s been 10 years since the little project that could from Seattelite Ben Gibbard (aka Death Cab For Cutie’s frontman) and Angeleno Jimmy Tamborello (Dntel, Figurine) emerged from seemingly nowhere and began to burrow into the ears of anyone who came into contact with the band’s infectious electro-pop. To celebrate, Sub Pop is reissuing The Postal Service’s sole album, and including in the multi-disc set 15 bonus tracks, including two brand new songs, “A Tattered Line of String” and “Turn Around.” On top of that, the band is back together: The Postal Service will hit the road for a long-overdue victory lap, giving most fans their first (and last—seriously, don’t ask) chance to see the group in person.

Of course, the band’s music was more than just electro-pop, and the force with which Jimmy and Ben captured the indie-rock zeitgeist of the early aughts made them more of a phenomenon than just a regular old band. That such artists as Ben Folds, Amanda Palmer, Streetlight Manifesto, and Confide have covered “Such Great Heights” is a testament to both the song’s magical spark and its melodic inclusivity. The band’s sound is such a touchstone that “Postal Service-esque” has become a generally accepted musical adjective. And it goes way beyond Owl City.

While it was impossible to anticipate how massive Give Up would become, it was obvious in 2003 that these guys had made something special. Ten years on it’s amazing to know that so many people have come to agree.

Monday, April 1, 2013

The album was conceived as a collection of the singles and their B-sides from 1985 and 1986. Additionally, the scrapped single "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" (which was passed over for "Shoplifters of the World Unite") and the near-single "There Is a Light That Never Goes Out" (a single candidate from The Queen Is Dead that was passed over in favour of "Bigmouth Strikes Again") were included.

The title reflects Morrissey's frustration with the fact that mainstream radio and record buyers still weren't paying attention to the band. As the album included many non-album cuts and single versions, it remains a fan favourite. The music press was critical, however, labelling the album "inessential".

The compilation was rendered largely superfluous only three months after its release when Rough Trade decided to release the similar but extended US-intended compilation Louder Than Bombs domestically. This was primarily done to save the consumer from paying high import prices. However, The World Won't Listen has some songs (or different versions of songs) that do not appear on Louder Than Bombs: "Money Changes Everything", "The Boy with the Thorn in His Side", "Stretch Out and Wait" (different version), "That Joke Isn't Funny Anymore", and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby" (different version).

The last line is the title of the only song on The World Won't Listen which was previously unreleased, the word 'maybe' being used because the song had appeared on bootlegs and test pressings prior to its official release, and thus some more attentive fans would have had it.

After WEA acquired the Smiths' back catalogue in 1992, all Smiths albums were re-released at mid price, including The World Won't Listen, which was expanded to include a cover of "Golden Lights" and the original Rough Trade cassette edition bonus track "Money Changes Everything" (the "Bigmouth Strikes Again" B-side, also later released on the deluxe edition of The Sound of The Smiths).